# About this documentation

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Welcome to the official API reference documentation for Node.js!

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on the [V8 JavaScript engine][].

## Contributing

Report errors in this documentation in [the issue tracker][]. See
[the contributing guide][] for directions on how to submit pull requests.

## Stability index

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Throughout the documentation are indications of a section's stability. Some APIs
are so proven and so relied upon that they are unlikely to ever change at all.
Others are brand new and experimental, or known to be hazardous.

The stability indices are as follows:

> Stability: 0 - Deprecated. The feature may emit warnings. Backward
> compatibility is not guaranteed.

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> Stability: 1 - Experimental. The feature is not subject to
> [Semantic Versioning][] rules. Non-backward compatible changes or removal may
> occur in any future release. Use of the feature is not recommended in
> production environments.

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> Stability: 2 - Stable. Compatibility with the npm ecosystem is a high
> priority.

Use caution when making use of Experimental features, particularly within
modules. End users may not be aware that experimental features are being used.
Bugs or behavior changes may surprise end users when Experimental API
modifications occur. To avoid surprises, use of an Experimental feature may need
a command-line flag. Experimental features may also emit a [warning][].

## JSON output
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Every `.html` document has a corresponding `.json` document. This is for IDEs
and other utilities that consume the documentation.

## System calls and man pages

Node.js functions which wrap a system call will document that. The docs link
to the corresponding man pages which describe how the system call works.

Most Unix system calls have Windows analogues. Still, behavior differences may
be unavoidable.

[Semantic Versioning]: https://semver.org/
[the contributing guide]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md
[the issue tracker]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/new
[V8 JavaScript engine]: https://v8.dev/
[warning]: process.html#process_event_warning
